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| Unicorn Hospitality Founder and Managing Director Yann Gouriou. |
Unicorn Hotels and Resorts is a disruptive, Bangkok-based boutique hotel management company offering existing and soon-to-launch hotels and restaurants an empowering and cost efficient alternative to global brand management agreements.
Started by seasoned hotel management expert, Yann Gouriou, Unicorn Hotels and Resorts creates, operates, reboots and inspires successful hospitality brands and tailors the experiences that they offer to their guests.
“Hotels are no longer places where you just rest your head. They are activity hubs where Wi-Fi, coffee and conversation flow fast and free. Guests seek convivial co-working, networking and not-working experiences that flex to their schedule. They also need somewhere to let off steam and have fun when the work is done.”
In an increasingly crowded hospitality landscape, Yann believes the survivors will be those that do things slightly better, slightly differently, and most importantly, those who offer real value to their guests.
“Value does not mean cheap. It means that your customers feel totally satisfied with the total experience for the price they have paid. Our job as hoteliers is to find a price point that is fair and deliver accordingly. That requires creativity, dedication and simple hard work. All too often the efforts of the core team inside a hotel – the GM, the F&B Manager are not valued. It is these people that manage every aspect of the property. Being a hotel manager is like being the mayor of a city. You are a planner, a technician and an expert in every aspect of the property. You are also a mentor and sometimes even a counsellor.”
The hospitality scene in Asia is an ever changing landscape. Trends, brands, concepts appear and disappear all the time. According to Yann, what matters in the end is service, which is something rapidly diminishing as hotels adopt mass market strategies and sensibilities.
“In Thailand hospitality management we have seen an increasing focus on the mass market in recent years resulting in higher numbers of arrivals but much lower buying power. This has impacted heavily on hotels in some of the country’s main resort areas. A great room is not sustainable with poor service. A funky look will fade, a wacky concept will narrow your target market. Building the right experience for your guests requires experience and a deep understanding of their needs and behaviour in order to get the service basics right.”
